A visit to the Chianti Classico region would not be complete without a stop-over in Greve in Chianti. It is small and picturesque but it is the main town or village of the Chianti Classico wine region and is home to Chianti’s largest wine fair that is held every September.
Situated between Florence and Siena, a visit to Greve in Chianti would not be complete without heading to the butcher shop Antica Macelleria Falorni which is a tourist attraction in its own right.
Part butcher shop, part bistro, it houses a cheese and wine cellar and has an incredible selection of the salamis and hams for which the butcher shop is famous.
It was founded in 1806 and has been making salumi of the highest quality for the past nine generations following traditional methods and old recipes that are passed from father to son. They have a range of salamis from the traditional ones with fennel to one with white truffle and another with chianti classico. They also make a wild boar salami among others.
This is one of those shops that you wished you lived close to. The salumi are hung on the ceiling to dry while a butcher shop has a superb selection of meat.
The butcher shop has created a very interesting and successful concept which is a bistro where you can sample most of the produce from the butcher’s shop. It is a no frills restaurant (cardboard plate and disposable cutlery) with exceptional food ranging from platters of pecorino and salumi to porchetta, soups and an impressive range of different ‘tartare’. The classic I tried was simply amazing (see photo below).
Falorni also own one of the largest wine cellars in the Chianti region (just a few metres away from the butcher shop) but unfortunately it was closed for refurbishment when we visited a few days ago.
Needless to say, you can sample a range of top wines from the area at the Bistro either in bottles or else by the glass.
If you happen to be in Florence, you can also visit the shop that can be found in the old part of the town just in the middle of the Sant’Ambrogio and Santa Croce neighbourhoods.
The bistro and butcher shop is open every day except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. It can be found in Piazza G. Matteotti, 71, Greve in Chianti.
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